Meway & Millis November 2017

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Page 28 Medway & Millis Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com November 2017 Sports Hopkins’ Prime Goal — Another Super Bowl for Millis By KEN HAMWEY, Staff Sports Writer Kurt Hopkins wouldn’t mind a repeat of last year. The Millis High running back, who also excels as a linebacker, rushed for 1,050 yards and scored 12 touchdowns last year as the Mohawks won the Division 4A Super Bowl by defeating Maynard. He also was voted a first-team Tri Valley League all-star. “My goal this year is for us to repeat as Super Bowl champs,’’ Hopkins said. “It’s realistic, because we’ve got experienced starters back and our team chemistry is good. To be champions again, however, we have to treat each game like it’s the only one left. As for me personally, it would be nice to improve on last year’s statistics and be a league all-star again. But, winning is much more important.’’ What’s also important is Hopkins’ health, and Millis fans got a major scare during the team’s 33-8 victory over Bellingham on Oct. 6. He dislocated his left elbow late in the second half and left the game in an ambulance. Hopkins missed the Mohawks game against Dover-Sherborn and was doubtful for Ashland. However, he was aiming to return for the playoffs. CHARRON Tree Service BELLINGHAM, MA 508-883-8823 FREE ESTIMATES • FULLY INSURED KEVIN LEMIRE, OWNER 1060 Pulaski Blvd., Bellingham, MA 02019 At Local Town Pages deadline, Millis had a 5-1 record and was on top of the standings in the TVL Small Division. Hopkins also was on top of his game with 585 yards rushing and six TDs in 4½ games. The senior captain’s prime objective is to stay healthy, finish strong as a team and establish a legacy. “We want to win the division, get to the sectional finals and be peaking at the finish line,’’ he said. “If we win back-to-back Super Bowls, it would cement our team as one of the best in Millis history.’’ The 5-foot-9, 170-pounder is a dynamic two-way player whose offensive strengths include agility, a high football IQ, hitting the holes quickly and cutting sharply. His prime defensive assets are the abilities to read and react and to rely on instincts. “I enjoy running the ball, but playing linebacker is fun, too,’’ he said. “It’s exciting to gain yards, but I also like tackling and pursuing at linebacker. I watch a lot of film, and that helps me to determine the tendencies of our opponents.’’ Hopkins, who has a GPA that’s off the charts (4.3), is a National Honor Society student whose work ethic on the gridiron is superb. His coach, Dana • COMMERICAL & RESIDENTIAL • TREE REMOVAL BY BUCKET TRUCK /CRANE • LAND CLEARING • STUMP GRINDING • STORM DAMAGE • SNOW REMOVAL • FIREWOOD SALES CharronTreeCompany.com CharronTreeService@yahoo.com Kurt Hopkins hands the ball to an official after scoring one of his three touchdowns against Dedham. Olson, labels Hopkins as “an oldschool, blue-collar competitor.’’ “Kurt gives 110 percent every play,’’ Olson said. “His motor never stops, and he’s able to get into position and make plays. His running complements our passing game, and he provides us with great spark. He’s the kind of runner who keeps the chains moving. He also goes full speed on defense and makes things happen.’’ A leader by example, Hopkins considers himself more of an on-field captain. “I’ll yell out plays that I think our opponents will run, and I try to help my teammates with positioning,’’ he noted. “We’ve got five other senior captains (quarterback Bryce Latosek, linebacker Ryan Daniel, receiver/safety PJ Adams, receiver/safety Dom Zonfrelli and lineman Ciaran Hourihan) who are quality leaders. They promote team chemistry, they’re all talented, and they all contribute.’’ When it comes to contributions, Hopkins is usually at the head of the class. Last year, he scored three touchdowns in games against Archbishop Williams and Bellingham and his TD against Ashland helped to clinch the division title. “Those games last year were three of my best,’’ Hopkins recalled. “I gained 175 yards against Bellingham and I gained 130 against Ashland in a game we won, 8-6. This season, I gained 145 yards and scored three TDs against Dedham.’’ All those touchdowns and all those yards, however, pale when stacked up against a Super Bowl crown. Hopkins knows the value of team play. “Winning the Super Bowl was unreal,’’ he said. “It was awesome — a great feeling because it justified all our hard work.’’ The 17-year-old Hopkins, who also plays basketball (forward) and baseball (infield), wouldn’t mind continuing his grid career in college, but he knows it would likely be in a Division 3 setting. Aiming for a career in civil engineering, he’s applied to UMass, Boston College, UConn, New Hampshire and Worcester Polytech. “I love sports, but I’ll focus on academics in college,’’ he said. “However, if I choose WPI, it could be a fit for football.’’ Labeling Olson as “a great motivator with a good football mind,’’ Hopkins also is a fan of his position coach — Jim Perkins. “Coach Perkins starred at Millis, and he deals with backs and linebackers,’’ Hopkins said. “He knows what’s needed to improve.’’ Hopkins relies on a competitive philosophy that focuses on winning. “It’s important to have fun,’’ he said. “And, winning, leads to fun. It’s also important to keep improving. I also try to learn life lessons from sports. Accountability is a lesson that helps you avoid earlier mistakes.’’ Hopkins doesn’t make many mistakes on a football field. He started playing the sport at seven in the Millis-Norfolk-Medfield Pop Warner association, and his game has been on the upswing ever since. Kurt Hopkins is a versatile two-way football player who could be a TVL all-star again. He’d like that, but he’d prefer another Super Bowl crown. That’s the way champions think.
November 2017 Medway & Millis Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com Page 29 Millis Golf Sees Growing Interest Sports By Christopher Tremblay As the school year gets underway and the fall sports begin to take place, many Millis athletes are thinking more about playing on fields and courts; not teeing off on a local golf course. For the past few seasons, Mohawk Coach Dave Hodgdon has put together teams with minimal members, but this year there was a little more interest in the fall sport. “We’ve always struggled to get enough numbers to make up a team. Most teams have a roster of 12 or 13 golfers; we usually carried 10. This year we had 20 come out for the team, and we kept 14,” the Millis Coach said. “I don’t know why the numbers increased this year; there is always interest in football and soccer, but golf is not on their minds. Millis is not a golf town, so we continue to struggle, and that leads to a lack of winning.” Of those 20 athletes that came out for the golf team this fall, a good number of them were seventh and eighth graders. Hodgdon has put these young athletes into developmental camp, sort of a feeder program for the varsity squad, where they will learn the game of golf and continue to improve their skills On any given day, Millis can have one of three golfers teeing off as their number one. Sophomores Ryan Brooks, Thomas Hill and TJ Hourigan have all shot in the mid 40’s and continue to battle it out for that top spot. Brooks is a lefty, who has shown a lot of improvement since his freshman campaign, and according to his coach has not only matured but seems more serious this season. While Hill is looking to improve his game to help the Mohawks, Hourigan has a natural swing which plays into his long game, but on occasion, he will swing too hard. All three golfers possess decent swings according to the Coach. One other sophomore who has been working his way up the ladder is Jacob Costa. The sophomore shot a career low 41 earlier this year, but still needs to work on some minor adjustments to improve his game. Hodgdon knows that his younger team is not going to win a lot of games right away, so while he not only has to work with them on their game, he also has to put them in the right frame of mind. “A lot of young kids come in with bad habits, and we need to guide them in the right direction to breaking those habits,” the Coach said. “Golf is a team sport, but it is also more of an individual sport; you have to rely on yourself, although the team contributes to the overall match. I tell the kids to play the course, not their competitor, and to concentrate on their individual shots.” Match situations are different than practices. According to Hodgdon once they step onto the actual course, nerves kick in. “I tell the kids that any team at any match on any given day a team can win,” he said. “It has to be your day, and if not today, then maybe tomorrow; you just have to keep on trying. If you improve the little things like lowering your stroke count, you’ll continue to improve.” Earlier in the season, Millis grabbed its first win as they defeated Bellingham in a Tri Valley League clash by four strokes. All five golfers shot in the 40’s and Sean McManus, who usually found himself as the seventh golfer on the team, shot a 45 and was a huge contributor to the win. Millis High Golf, which usually sees low numbers, drew a large number this year. Coach Hodgdon is working on teaching the largely young players good habits on the green. Your Vision; Our Mission Michael T. Damon Financial Adviser* Damon Financial, LLC** 45 Milford Street, Suite 3 Medway, MA 02053 (508) 321-2101 Mike@DamonFinancial.com DamonFinancial.com Registered Representative offering investments through NYLIFE Securities LLC (member FINRA/SIPC), A licensed Insurance Agency and wholly owned subsidiary of New York Life Insurance and an agent licensed to sell insurance through New York Life Insurance Company and may be licensed to sell insurance through various other independent unaffiliated companies. *Financial Adviser offering investment advisory Services through Eagle Strategies LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser. ** Damon Financial, LLC is not owned or operated by NYLIFE Securities LLC or its affiliates.
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Meway & Millis November 2017

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